Computer resources and intellectual disability: Applications in the school context Recursos informáticos y discapacidad intelectual: Aplicaciones en el contexto escolar

Abstract

Intellectual disability, as recently named, calls for a new approach that is not reduced to a mere change of terms, but that instead demands the development of a more ‘real’ approach in which comprehensive care prevails. Such comprehensive care must be carried out by an interdisciplinary team that makes use of instruments in order to contribute to the optimization and improvement of students’ cognitive skills. School environment is one of the areas where contributions can be done since students’ comprehensive development can be fostered, mainly in primary, by approaching new technologies and implementing computer applications. This article -derived from the research project "Neuropsychological evaluation and intervention program for children between 8 and 12 years of age with intellectual disability"- puts forward a
reflection based on a review of computer resources and tools that can contribute to the improvement of child intervention processes aimed at the population with intellectual disability. Parting from the controversies that have arisen in the last decades about the concept of intellectual disability, reference is
made to how different computer platforms and virtual environments can generate high
motivational levels for their use and, this way, potentiate and favor cognitive and learning processes.